Dutch Government starts Action plan ‘Seniors in Good Hands’ 01.04.2011

On 30 March, Secretary of State Ms Veldhuijzen van Zanten-Hyllner of the Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport presented the ministry’s action plan entitled ‘Seniors in Good Hands’, which is targeted against the abuse, exploitation and neglect of older people.

ANBO welcomes this plan of action, which is aimed at increasing awareness in society regarding the rights of older people, particularly those who are in a vulnerable position because they are dependent upon others for their care or because they need help in organising the activities of their daily lives.

The action plan provides a very comprehensive series of measures intended to achieve greater awareness in society, as well as better guidelines, information and training for caregivers (formal and informal). It also seeks to improve the functioning of national hotlines and to ensure the appropriate monitoring of this policy. It is important that research be conducted regarding the size, nature and possibilities for preventing financial exploitation. The plan also indicates the necessity of establishing a clear connection between the treatment and justice.

These points – good information for society (and especially the elderly), research on financial exploitation and deception, and the establishment of cooperation between treatment and criminal justice – are issues that were advanced by ANBO as interests of the elderly. Although we are very pleased with this fine large-scale action plan, it fails to address one point that ANBO had advocated. We believe that another major study should be conducted in the Netherlands to assess the magnitude and nature of abuse, exploitation and neglect of elderly people. The most recent survey was conducted by Comijs in 1997 – almost fourteen years ago. The international expansion of insight into elder abuse that has taken place in the meantime provides ample reason for replicating this research. Such a study could deliver concrete targets for reducing the damage to the rights of the elderly. We also continue to seek opportunities to make it possible to conduct this research. 

ANBO played an important role in the creation of this action plan, which emerged from activities carried out within various European projects aimed at fighting elder abuse. ANBO is the leader of one of these projects, and it is involved in two others. The projects are intended to generate improvements in policies for older people in Europe. The activities attracted the attention of the Dutch media and political circles in the summer of 2010, and they contributed to the new government’s decision to make this an important point.

The full text of the action plan (in Dutch) can be found here. The English version will be published here as soon as it is available (before 8 April)

Action Plan 'Seniors in Good Hands'